


Fifty Kisses

by yurawiththegoodhair



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love, OTP Feels, Short & Sweet, Tumblr Prompt, inukag - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 11,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25801474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurawiththegoodhair/pseuds/yurawiththegoodhair
Summary: A collection of fifty kisses based on tumblr prompts. Some AU, some canon. All feel good InuKag fluffiness!
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 14
Kudos: 102





	1. A Kiss In Secrecy

**Author's Note:**

> So, I can't sleep, and naturally, Tumblr seemed to be the logical answer (spoiler alert, it wasn't) and I found a list of 50 kiss prompts that I think I'm going to work my way through as a little exercise since I'm 1) rusty and 2) fairly new to these characters in terms of writing. They'll all be fairly short and sweet, I'll find ways to turn even the dark ones cute, just you wait.
> 
> This first one is a kiss in secrecy, and it's a little high school AU secret relationship.
> 
> Thanks for reading and reviews are love!

"Just put that banner over there Eri, I'll get Hojo to hang it up," Kagome called across the courtyard, the hustle and bustle of the set up for the school festival continuing around her.

She barely heard her friends affirmative before she was grabbed onto a side pathway, a warm, familiar hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her shriek of surprise.

"Inuyasha!" she hissed when he removed the offending hand, but she was greeted with a satisfied smirk.

He pressed her against the wall, his head bending down to place kisses to the juncture between her neck and shoulder, and the fight went out of her.

"You're just so..." he paused to nip at her earlobe and she gasped from the feeling, "... _hot_ when you're bossing people around."

She let out a tiny bark of a laugh, before he claimed her lips with his, and she was done for.

The way he kissed her was just...damn. His mouth moved lazily over hers, as if he didn't have a care in the world except for what was happening right here, right now.

He always pulled her so close, his hands squeezing at her hips where her top met the skirt of her uniform, and when he was especially brazen, like today, he'd skim his clawed fingers between the two, causing a shiver of pleasure to run up her spine.

Kagome knew she was inexperienced in a lot of what life had to offer, but she knew she'd never, ever get tired of this, of him.

"I have to get back," she moaned disappointedly, managing to pull away from him, enough for a proper amount of oxygen to get to her brain.

"I know," he said, placing his forehead against hers, a sad sort of smile on his face that made her want to kiss him until it was gone. "I just missed you."

Her death certificate would surely read 'death by melting curtesy of a half-demon.'

"You know," she said, twining her arms around his neck, her hand finding one of his all too adorable dog ears to rub gently, "you could remedy that by helping the committee set up for the festival."

He rolled his eyed. "You know, you could just let me take you out on a date. I'm starting to think you're actually ashamed of me or something."

"That's not true!" she countered instantly, and a little too loudly, immediately realizing her mistake, and mouthing a quick 'sorry,' relieved when he smiled back.

She wasn't ashamed of him. At all. Not in the slightest. But their relationship was just that. Theirs. Fun and exciting and wonderful, and she selfishly wanted to keep him to herself for awhile before the entire school became privy to it all.

But as exciting as the secrecy was, she was kind of dying to go on a real date with him. Snuggling up to him on the metro, holding hands as he walked with her through the crowded shops of Odaiba, a ferris wheel ride overlooking Tokyo Bay as the sun set with a lot of kissing and more snuggling...

Oh, yeah, she was ready, now.

"Fine," she conceded. "You can pick me up Saturday morning."

And as she finally extracted herself from his arms, he was positively beaming.

"Don't be late," she called over her shoulder, swaying her hips a little more than was necessary.

"Wouldn't dream of it."


	2. A Kiss Where It Doesn't Hurt

“You should’ve listened to me,” she chided, running a cotton swab from her first aid kit over just one of the numerous cuts and bruises on his legs.

He winced at the sting, and she bit back a smile. Half-demon or not, he wasn’t immune to the biting pain of antiseptic on wounds.

“How the fuck was I supposed to know that thing was so unstable?” he groused at his wife. 

“I’m not so sure it was ‘that thing’s’ fault,” she said, reaching back for more hydrogen peroxide. “And considering you insisted that we wait until the baby was asleep before you tried to ride the bike, you know, when it’s DARK outside, I’m not sure exactly what you expected.”

“She doesn’t need to see me making a fool of myself!”

“She’s a year old, Inuyasha!”

“Seeing your old man make an ass of himself can leave a lasting impression!”

Kagome rolled her eyes and sat back. “Oh, yes, letting your child see that you’re part human would be such a travesty.” 

“Glad you see it my way. And I can see just fine in the dark, thank you very much.”

“Clearly,” she drawled sarcastically, removing another piece of gravel from his shin.

So much about him had changed from the angry teenager she’d met nearly a decade before, but his moods were definitely not something that had. But she was experienced in them now, and with experience came knowledge, and knowledge led to the ability to soothe. 

“Maybe next time we can have you try when it’s daylight out, yeah?” she tried to pacify, but he just crossed his arms and let out a huff of air, so she went back to her work. “I think it’s very cute you want to learn, so you can show her one day.”

He growled at her use of that word, though it had no real bite to it. Cute. He told her on at least a weekly basis he was nothing of the sort. 

“I still can’t believe you never learned how to ride a bike as a kid,” she said, while opening a bandage.

“Well, Sesshomaru wasn’t exactly the nurturing type,” he offered nonchalantly.

“Still isn’t,” she added with a shake of her head.

She was about to stick the bandaid to his skin, when he started fussing again. 

“Hey, stop that,” he said, batting her hands away. “Only thing actually wounded is my ego. These’ll be gone in an hour.”

A wily smile lit her face. “That’s too bad. I was going to kiss all your hurt better.”

His eyes grew large before an obviously fake pout marred his handsome features. “In that case, I hurt everywhere.”

“Mmm, is that so?” she asked, slinking up his body until their foreheads touched and she could feel his breath on her face. “What about places that don’t hurt that I could kiss instead, so I don’t accidentally injure you further?”

Inuyasha shrugged and held her gaze. “I can think of a couple of places.”

“Would this be one of them?” she breathed, before brushing her lips teasingly over his own, enjoying the tiny whimper he let out at the contact.

“It’s not the main one, but that’ll work, too.”

“You really are an ass,” she replied, and the grin he gave her made her heart skip a beat.

“But you love me anyway,” he said smugly.

“That’s debatable,” she said with an unladylike snort. 

He had the grace to look mildly offended before she giggled at him and eagerly closed the space between their lips.

She couldn’t help but melt against him while he worked her mouth, placing both hands on either side of her face to bring her as close as he could. He was such a rough man, all hard edges and scowls, but when he kissed her like this, he was so _soft_ , it made her knees weak. And when she felt him give a gentle pull to her bottom lip, a move he knew would guarantee him entrance, she was done for.

He’d just delved into her lips, when reality came crashing in, with a sad and pitiful whine of ‘papa’ coming through the baby monitor next to them.

Kagome paused, instinctually turning her head towards the sound, but Inuyasha pulled her attention back with a kiss to the corner of her mouth. 

“Ignore it, she’ll go back to sleep,” he urged, just before an even more insistent cry of his name came from their daughter. One that could be heard without the monitor. 

His ears flattened against his head. “Guess that’s my cue,” he sighed, still not moving away from his wife.

“She probably knows about the bike. Wants to make sure you’re ok,” she joked, and was rewarded with a playful shove.

“Fuck off,” he laughed, as he reluctantly extracted himself from her hold, and moved down the hallway.

“Hey,” she called after him, and he stopped just outside the nursery door. “Let’s try it again tomorrow ok?”

She was rewarded with a half smile and a nod before he disappeared into their daughter’s room.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. A Kiss for Luck

He watched her curiously as she hugged her mother outside of the school, thanking her profusely for saving her life while she clutched her exam ticket in her hand.

For the life of him, he would never understand any of this. School, tests to go to more school, math. What was the point of it all, anyway? 

Kagome had been stressed beyond belief for weeks, barely sleeping, yelling at him for breathing too loudly, forcing them to take breaks all the damn time so she could go back home. 

He’d told her just before she’d left this last time that he didn’t know why she couldn’t just carry a sword around to defeat the enemies of her world. Swords fixed everything. But she hadn’t appreciated that advice for some reason.

But all of the annoyance and yelling and times he’d eaten the dirt from her sitting him became infinitely worth it when she’d launched herself into his arms that morning when he’d found her bag on the train, exclaiming how glad she was that he was there. 

He couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Would be smiling about it for a long time, he was sure.

Just then, a man with a green cuff around his arm announced the exam would be starting in eight minutes.

“I’d better get inside,” Kagome said, hugging her mother again, and giving him a bright smile that made his stomach do a not at all unpleasant flip. 

“Good luck dear,” her mother told her, and Kagome nodded before turning to head into the school.

“Kagome, wait!” he called, stepping forward slightly, gently wrapping his large hand around her wrist to pull her into his chest.

She gasped lightly, her forward momentum causing her to slam into him with a bit of force, confused eyes staring up at him.

Inuyasha wasn’t sure what came over him. It could have been how brilliantly she was smiling just a moment before. Or maybe he was picking up on the heightened emotion from everyone around him. Most probably it was that he was ridiculously and hopelessly in love with her, not that she needed to know that right now.

And before he could allow himself to think, he leaned down and pressed the chastest of kisses to her surprised mouth. Pulling back almost immediately, while his cheeks flushed at his actions and she stared at him with wide eyes.

“F-for luck,” he sputtered. “Good luck on your test, Kagome.”

The girl in his arms seemed to find herself again, beaming while she squeezed him around the middle before backing away towards the school once more. 

“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she said, waving brightly as she turned to run inside. “I’ll see you both later!”

He smiled at her retreating form for a moment before he felt eyes on him. He turned his head to the left, and seeing the knowing look Kagome’s mother was giving him, his blush bloomed anew. 


	4. A Kiss to Gain Something

Kagome sighed, snuggling further into her boyfriend’s side, annoyance etched into every plane of her face. 

Not that Inuyasha had any idea. His focus was entirely fixed on the television in front of them, while he alternated between bites of pizza and nursing the rest of his beer.

He was watching some stupid action movie where someone got shot every thirty seconds and something was blown up every five. Not her thing. At all. And she was bored out of her mind.

She eyed the remote sitting just on the other side of him. If she could just get ahold of it, house rules dictated she got to choose what they watched for at least the next hour. 

But even with the advantage she had at the moment of his attention being totally monopolized by the television, she knew there was no way she’d be fast enough to get it away from him.

Damn half-demon and his damn half-demon reflexes. 

But what she  _ did _ have in her arsenal, was the power to create a diversion. A diversion so foolproof, it had a 100% success rate. 

Because while Inuyasha didn’t have many weaknesses, he did have one, giant, major, gaping hole weakness. And she happened to be sitting next to him, wearing only his button up from that day. 

She could slowly start to distract him by absentmindedly running her fingers up his arms, or leaning up to kiss his cheek. But this situation called for drastic measures. It was act now, or be doomed to another hour of guns and bombs and unfairly stunning women wearing entirely impractical clothing.

So, she sat up, and swung herself into his lap, her legs straddling on either side of him. She smiled almost wickedly at the surprise on his face that quickly turned to something much more delectable, his honey eyes darkening just before she leaned down and captured his lips with her own.

It was one of those all-encompassing, bruising sort of kisses that had no room for hesitance or foreplay. This was a kiss that demanded everything with tongues and teeth and moans, a kiss you could lose yourself in if you didn’t have a mission to complete.

She stupidly hadn’t factored in just how much affect it would have on her, especially when his hands made their way to her hips, digging in and bunching up the shirt she wore. 

It was a rookie mistake, really, considering he was her greatest weakness, too. Had been since the first time she’d managed to make him smile. 

Kagome was getting completely wrapped up in him, and she was grateful for the sound of an explosion behind her that reminded her exactly why she was in his lap in the first place. 

Her hand reached out to the arm of the couch, snatching the remote and reveling in the feel of it for a brief moment before she pulled back from him, enjoying the totally wrecked look on his face.

“Check and mate,” she said, while plopping back down next to him.

It took him a moment to recover, but when he did, she wasn’t disappointed. “Hey! What the hell, woman! You can’t do that!”

She cackled, grasping the remote in her hands and shaking them on either side of her head in a sign of victory. “I win, you lose, you can’t do anything about it, they’re your stupid rules to begin with,” she said in the most bragging way she could, finishing by sticking her tongue out at him in a sign of utmost maturity.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and sighed in the resigned kind of way that told her she’d won...for now. He hauled her over to lay in front of him, stretching his legs to lay beside hers, and wrapping his arms around her form to pull her in close.

“You’re the worst, you know that?” he said near her ear.

Kagome simply smiled, shrugged and changed the channel. 


	5. A Kiss in Apology

Kagome was restless, continuing to toss and turn on the futon, and Inuyasha had never felt more useless.

Kaede had given her a clean bill of health after they’d returned from their encounter with Tsubaki and the curse on Kagome being lifted. She just needed rest, and a lot of it, but she would be fine. 

And usually, that would give him solace. He gave the old woman a hard time, but he trusted no one more with Kagome’s health. But Kagome’s restlessness gave him cause for concern. 

He’d expected her to pass out the moment her head hit the soft padding beneath her, but she hadn’t settled and it had been well over two hours, the sun having set some time ago. 

Inuyasha moved closer to her from his place on the wall, reaching a clawed hand out to brush her bangs away from her forehead to let her know he was there.

Her eyes opened blearily, and an idea struck him. “Want me to take you out where you can see the stars?”

She nodded her head weakly, and he gathered her up, blanket and all, quietly stepping over Shippo on his way out of the hut.

He walked out a ways from the heart of the village, settling on the edge of a large field to give her the best view of the sky. He sat down wrapping the blanket more firmly around her form as she nestled against his chest, a relieved sigh leaving her mouth.

“Thank you, Inuyasha,” she whispered. “It’s so peaceful here.” 

He grunted an affirmative. “You should sleep.”

Kagome smiled. “I will, I just want to enjoy this for a little while, after today. Makes you appreciate the small things like this, you know?”

He looked away in shame, but she reached a hand up to touch his cheek and pulled his face back towards her.

She seemed to search his face for something, before a frown curled the corners of her lips downward.

“Stop that,” she reprimanded, firm but still somehow sweet.

He shook his head and looked away. “I’m so sorry, Kagome.”

“You’ve already apologized. You didn’t even need to. So, stop beating yourself up.”

“But-”

“Did you curse me? Did you try to kill me?”

“No, but-”

“Then you have nothing to apologize for,” she snapped, and his ears dropped against his head. 

Her eyes suddenly held a mischievous “At least when it comes to this,” she said, reaching up to tweak his ear gently.

“That’s not funny,” he grumbled, but he couldn’t stay mad as she giggled, apparently delighted in his reaction and her own cleverness. 

A comfortable silence fell over them, and he could tell she was fighting sleep. “Go to sleep,” he encouraged, tucking her head underneath his chin. 

“Mmm,” she hummed in acquiescence. 

He leaned down and placed a kiss to the crown of her head, allowing her scent to soothe his frayed nerves. “I am sorry, Kagome.”

“I’ll yell at you about it some more tomorrow,” she mumbled, her nose crinkled in annoyance as sleep’s call finally became too much to ignore. 

She was definitely on the mend. 

“I’m betting on it,” he said and smiled, as the night stretched on around them. 


	6. A Kiss to Shut Them Up

“I don’t like him, Kagome!”

“Yes, you’ve made that clear on a number of occasions.”

“I mean, what makes him even think he’s worthy to date you?”

“That’s a ridiculously outdated concept, Inuyasha,” she said, rolling her eyes, though a bit of hope bloomed in her chest. If he was this upset about someone asking her out, could that mean he...

“But he just…” he looked at her bringing her from her thoughts, eyes wild, running a hand through his bangs, “just walked up and asked you out!”

“Yes, and if you’ll recall, I said no!” she yelled, frustration mounting because he just didn’t get it.

“Damn straight, you did!” he yelled back. “That little son of a bitch-“

“Inuyasha!”

“No, Kagome!” he said, finally stopping his pacing to stand right in front of her, his hands gripping her shoulders. “He can bring you medicine for your headaches, and insoles for your shoes, and that weird ass cream that you use for whatever the hell you use it for, but so help me-“

It was then she’d decided she’d had enough. All those years of pining for her best friend had led her here. All those years she’d resolutely stood with him, waiting for him to get a fucking clue. And here he had the perfect opportunity, and he just wouldn’t shut up.

She leaned up on her toes and covered his mouth with hers.

It wasn’t mind blowing or anything like she’d often imagined kissing him would be. Just a quick press of lips that made his eyes go impossibly wide, before his arms moved down to her waist to pull her flesh against him.

And despite the brevity of it all, her lungs seemed to scream for air when she pulled back, and his face was flushed in the sweetest of pinks.

“I don’t want Hojo. I never have,” she told him, leaning her forehead against his, still trying to catch her breath.

And the stupidest, most wonderful smile split his face, his mouth moving only to form a simple, “Oh.”


	7. A Kiss Casually

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked as they stood just inside Shibuya station getting ready to go their separate ways for the night. 

Kagome smiled brightly at him and nodded, fidgeting with her purse strap to keep herself from launching into his arms and hugging him fiercely.

Their relationship was fairly new, and Inuyasha was still hesitant to show much public affection. She could absolutely deal with it, especially with the way he kissed her when they were alone.

She nearly froze, when he leaned down, his hand running up her arm while he placed a casual kiss to her lips.

When he pulled back, she must have looked stunned since his silver brows furrowed and he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Kagome shook her head, her lips curling up slyly. “That was very unlike you, Inuyasha. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you liked me or something.”

He let out a huff of air and rolled his eyes, but the bright flush of his cheeks told her there was some truth to her statement.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this, Kagome.”

“But you just  _ kissed _ me.”

“I’ve kissed you loads of times before.”

“But not in the middle of a train station.”

“Why does it matter where I kiss you?”

“You kissed me in public because you  _ like  _ me.”

“I’m never kissing you again.”

“But you  _ like  _ me.”

“Oh, for the love,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes as if he could feel a headache coming. “Goodbye, Kagome.”

She giggled, her laugh light and airy. Several passersby gave her strange looks, but she couldn’t bring herself to care, grabbing his arm and leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek before he could run. “Bye, Inuyasha.”


	8. A Kiss to Soothe

“Wow, you’re pathetic,” Inuyasha teased as he made his way into his girlfriend’s room. 

Kagome’s head peeked out from underneath the covers, her cocoon-like state making him smile widely, even as her right hand made an appearance to show off her middle finger.

“Did you come here to torture me or help me feel better?” she grumbled, her voice scratchy and irritated, as she threw the comforter back over her head.

“I may have brought you some meds, but you’re gonna have to come out to get it,” he said, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge.

“What kind of meds?” she asked, the top of her head down to her eyes appearing again.

“That stuff that makes you all loopy and knocks you out for twelve hours,” he replied, taking the bottle out of the bag he’d received at the drug store. 

“I love you,” she said, almost as passionately as he’d ever heard her say it, and when she sat up, he was finally able to get in a good look at her.

She was deathly pale, and the bags under her eyes told him everything he needed to know about how much sleep she’d gotten since she started to feel badly a few days before.

Kagome had fought him on coming over to help take care of her. She’d insisted she wanted to keep him safe, no matter how many times he told her he was immune to most of the common illnesses that plagued humans.

“But you can’t be sure! You’ve been sick before!” she countered between a fit of coughs.

She was right. He had been once. Years ago, before he even knew her, when a random flu strain had proven tricky for the demon population. But he highly doubted whatever she had would be the end of him. 

And even if it was, he wouldn’t be mad about it, considering she was going to be the death of him anyway.

So, he’d eventually just informed her he was coming to her apartment, and she was too weak to argue when he promised he’d bring drugs with him.

He left her briefly to get a glass of water to help wash down the unpleasant taste of the meds, and managed to get a few saltines into her stomach too. 

And when Kagome settled back into her pillows with a sigh, he sat back down next to her on the bed, reaching out a hand to run through her bangs. 

“Feeling any better?”

“I would if you’d get over here and cuddle with me,” she retorted.

“You know, a few hours ago, you didn’t even want me here,” he said while scooping her up and folding her into his chest still completely wrapped in her blankets.

“Shut up, and do your job,” she griped, but it came out as more of a pitiful whine and he had to bite back a laugh.

“My job? What exactly is my job?”

“Comforting me, you ass,” she replied with a pout.

“Ah,” Inuyasha said, tucking her head underneath his chin. “And how exactly would you like for me to do that?”

“Just don’t move for the next twelve hours or so,” she said, her voice finally heavy with sleep as her eyes closed wearily.

“Fine. Just don’t have any embarrassing dreams about me,” he joked, leaning down to place soothing kisses on her closed eyelids. 

He braced himself for her inevitable, scathing retort, but he’d be waiting until morning, as she was already sound asleep. 


	9. A Kiss as a Yes

_ “I guess we should get married.”  _

Of all the things he could have said, it was probably the one that incensed her the most. 

She’d been gone for 3 years. 3. Fucking. Years. And all he could manage to say was that he guessed they should get married?

Kagome knew she’d never get some elaborate proposal. That wasn’t even a thought in her mind. That wasn’t how things were done here, and eve n if it was,  it wasn’t in Inuyasha’s personality to do that. And that was fine.

Really it was.

But was it so wrong to have expected just a little more than a ‘well, you’re here, guess we should just get it over with a nd marry’ ’?

Granted, she shouldn’t have stormed off. He was just so infuriating sometimes, and old habits died hard. She had refrained from using the beads, though, and internally congratulated herself for her restraint. 

The longer she was away from him, however, the more the fight went out of her. She’d run to the well, another habit she needed to break, knowing full well it could do nothing for her anymore. But it did provide a place to think. A place to breathe. And that was what she needed more than anything at the moment.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she thought of her behavior towards the half demon she loved so much. 

Kagome had grown during their separation. Had learned about how friendships, and the relationships they brought, functioned in a healthy way. It all revolved around expectations and how one communicated those expectations. 

And she hadn’t done that with Inuyasha, i nstead,  just expecti ng him to read her mind about romantic declarations of love and marriage. 

He had grown during her absence too, she knew without a doubt. But expressing emotions, especially for someone who had never been shown much of anything except contempt and hate, wasn’t something that clicked overnight. It took years, and even then it was probably not a given.

He’d come so far since she’d pulled the arrow from his chest. Why couldn’t she celebrate that, instead of wishing he’d go just a bit further?

But what if what he’d said was an indication of how he felt about marrying her? That it was just something he felt he had to do because she’d come back for him.

If she was completely honest, that was what was eating at her insides. Not his words, but the doubt they created. Though, she’d never know unless she talked with him, and as scary as it was, she couldn’t let this fester for very lo ng . 

Kagome resolved herself that she was ready to see him, to smooth it all over. She stood from the well, putting out her right foot and bracing to break out in a run when she saw him. 

Inuyasha’s lips were pressed in a line, his golden eyes swimming with something that looked like worry, while he stood at the edge of the tree li ne.

She walked across the open field that led to the forest where he was standing, her legs feeling like jelly as her own worry bubbled up inside her chest.

Avoiding his eyes the closer she got, when she finally stopped in front of him, she didn’t realize he’d opened his mouth to speak at the same time as she had.

“Kagome, I’m sorry-“

“I’m so sorry, Inuyasha-“

Her head flew up so she could meet his gaze, both of their cheeks flushing in embarrassment. And it was then that his words settled into her mind, allowing her to process them.

Inuyasha had apologized. Without prompting. Without another fight. 

He really  _ had  _ grown.

While she was musing in her head, she missed the worry move from his eyes, etching itself o nto the planes of his face. 

“Kagome, we don’t have to get married. I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

She certai nly hadn’t been expecting  _ that.  _ “You think I don’t want to get married?”

He shrugged his shoulders, and looked to the side. “Didn’t really seem like it to me.”

“I thought  _ you  _ didn’t want to get married!” she countered, and he let out an indignant huff.

“Well, you stormed off when I asked you. What was I supposed to think?”

“You didn’t ask me though!”

“What the hell would you call it then?”

“Uh, I don’t know, but it wasn’t asking!” she yelled, hands on her hips, as she leaned forward to get closer to his face. 

They both stood rooted i n place, breathing hard and fuming over how ridiculous it was that one could misunderstand the other so terribly. Anger used to fuel her interactions with them, a defense mechanism she’d developed to keep her heart safe, even when she’d already lost it to him completely. But she wasn’t that fifteen year old girl anymore, she didn’t have to guard herself away, and this wasn’t going to get them anywhere, and she knew it.

Kagome closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, relaxi ng her stance and willing the tension out of her body before she spoke agai n. “I do want to marry you, Inuyasha. It’s all I’ve wanted since I came back, even before. But you didn’t seem even the least bit excited about the prospect of it, and I’m so sorry I left. I shouldn’t have, but it was a lot to process, and I just needed to think.”

It was his turn to take a steadying breath, looking at her with an intensity that made Kagome wonder how she’d ever questioned how he felt.  “You know I’m shit with all the emotional stuff, Kagome. Always have been. And I know it’s always bothered you. But I’m trying here. I want to marry you.”

His words had her heart pou nding so hard, she was sure he could hear it. “You do?” she asked i n a disbelieving whisper, and a deep chuckle rumbled through his chest.

“You should already know that, stupid,” he replied, reaching a clawed hand up to caress her cheek. 

It was her turn to laugh. “You expect me to say yes after you insult me?”

The right corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk, as he held out a hand to her. “What do you say?”

Kagome smiled, threading her fingers through his, before she stretched on her toes to place a lingering kiss on his lips.

“Yes.”


	10. A Kiss Discreetly

“Here’s the reports you asked for, Higurashi,” Inuyasha said, trying to keep his voice level and normal as he stepped into her cubicle, though his insides were anything but thanks to the woman in front of him.

Kagome smiled politely, the air about her nothing but professional. “Thank you, so much,” she replied. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

He wanted to tell her she could literally ask him to jump out the window of their twelfth story office and he would (it would hurt probably, but he’d live because of the whole half demon thing and it would be worth it if she wanted him to) but instead he simply stumbled out a “no, no trouble at all.”

She looked at him for a moment, a bemused smile on her face, and he wondered how she always managed to look so calm, when just standing a few feet away from her for two minutes had his pulse racing and his arms aching from an overwhelming desire to hold her.

“Was there anything else, Taisho?” she asked sweetly, a knowing look on her face.

Inuyasha shook his head, cursing the blush that tainted his cheeks as he realized he’d been standing there staring for way longer than was necessary for someone who was supposed to just be bringing some reports to a coworker. “Uh, n-no, that’s it. I’ll see you around.”

He started to turn, when Kagome grabbed onto the tie around his neck stopping him in his tracks. She looked around, and when she determined the coast was clear, she yanked him down towards her, planting a kiss on his surprised lips.

It was brief, since neither one of them dared take it as far as they wanted, but it was enough to leave Inuyasha sort of breath and wishing he had a chair to sit in until his legs seemed to work again.

But the absolute beam that lit her face brought him back to reality, and he couldn’t help but grin back, before he whispered, “I’ll see you tonight.”


	11. A Kiss Because They're Running Out of Time

“Kagome, are you home?” her mother called up the stairs, apparently having just got home herself.

They ripped apart from each other, a string of curses on Inuyasha’s lips. Kagome cleared her throat and started to smooth her hair back into place.

“Uh, yeah, Mama, I’ll be right down!” 

“I’ve brought dinner home, so come get it before it gets cold.”

She tried to keep her voice steady, her heartbeat finally slowing to a somewhat normal pace, which was no easy feat considering she’d just participated in the best make out session of her life. “I will! Just give me a second!” 

If she wasn’t afraid her mother would catch him there, Kagome would have thoroughly enjoyed watching her boyfriend scramble around to gather his things and redo the ponytail at the crown of his head. Because he was adorably disheveled, and it was such a rare deviation from his normally brash and cocky exterior.

And it wasn’t as if her mother disapproved of their relationship, quite the opposite actually, she loved Inuyasha like he was her own. But Kagome wasn’t sure how much she’d approve of him sneaking in her window to kiss her breathless when he knew the matriarch wasn’t at home. 

“Hurry!” she hissed at him, when it seemed like it was taking him forever and a day to get his shoes on. 

“Shut up, Kagome!” he whispered back. “I’m doing the best I can.”

She rolled her eyes, a loud sigh of relief leaving her mouth when he finally started to make his way through her window. 

Inuyasha stopped, legs straddling the sill. “Hey,” he said, and she quirked an eyebrow, waiting for whatever came next. “I fuckin’ love you.” 

Her face broke into the biggest smile and she leaned down to press her lips to his one last time, only intending to give him a small token of her appreciation. 

Of course, him being the little shit he was, he deepened the kiss almost immediately, sweeping his tongue into her mouth and brushing it against her own in a way that made her knees weak and her body never want to break contact.

But the sound of footsteps on the stairs brought reality crashing in, and she broke away, struggling for words. “No time. Go.”

He smiled at her just before he swung his other leg over and dropped from sight to the ground below.

No sooner had he disappeared did Kagome’s door open, her mother peeking her head inside and looking around.

“Did Inuyasha leave?” she asked, looking at her daughter with a knowing smile, while Kagome stood frozen in horror at being found out. “I hope he hasn’t gotten too far, I brought dinner for him too.” 

“Wha...I...he….”

Her mother winked and closed the door. 


	12. A Kiss Because Time Has Run Out

“Pencils down, your time is up,” the professor announced from the front of the classroom, and Kagome groaned in frustration.

She heard Inuyasha chuckle next to her, and she shot him a glare that only seemed to make him laugh harder.

“I hate Calculus,” she pouted as they handed in their tests. The look the professor gave her was somehow sympathetic and judging at the same time, and she flushed in embarrassment. 

“Really? I had no idea,” her sarcastic bastard of a boyfriend said, taking her extremely heavy bag from her as she struggled under its weight and slinging over his free shoulder.

“I don’t need your sass, right now,” she shot back.

“What exactly do you need, besides a good tutoring session?” 

“Do you have to be an ass about absolutely everything?” 

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. But when her anger turned genuine, which she knew he no doubt could smell, he backpedaled. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. What can I do?”

Kagome paused in the hallway, leaning against the wall as the rest of the class emptied out the doors leaving them alone. She appeared to be deep in thought, though she knew what she wanted. Knew full well the one thing that would make it all better.

After what felt like a sufficient amount of time to make him wait, she finally answered with a shrug, “A kiss would be a good place to start.”

Inuyasha smiled. The soft one where the right side of his mouth curled up and you could sometimes see one of his fangs poke through, and Kagome almost forgot the terror she had just survived with that one look.

Until he leaned down, gently molding his lips to hers, and the entire world slipped away. 

It still amazed her, even after three years together, how much he affected her. The butterflies that seemed to never leave during the early days were no longer there, but they had been replaced with something she preferred far more; an overwhelming sense that all was right with the world.

And it really was. Even in the midst of losing battles with immortal enemies like math. 

When he pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers and placed a teasing kiss to her nose. “Better?”

“Exponentially,” she replied, a dreamy smile on her lips.

“Do you even know what an exponent is?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and a mocking smile, while he reached for her hand and they moved down the hall.

“Shut up,” she moaned, suddenly remembering she’d likely just failed her test, though his subsequent laugh sent warmth flooding through her body.

“How about we go get some of your favorite food?”

She wondered if he was thinking of oden or maybe some Italian. Any form of carb sounded heavenly. “And that would be?” 

“Ramen.”

The roll of her eyes was habitual. “That’s your favorite food.”

“Is it?” he asked, feigning innocence as he appeared to think about what she’d said. “Oh, yeah, I guess it is.” 

“You’re such an idiot.” Exasperation laced every word.

“Yeah, but who’s idiot am I?” he replied with a wink.

Kagome couldn’t stop the giggle that left her mouth, before she replied resolutely, “Mine.” 


	13. A Kiss to Wake Up

“And then what happened, Mama?” Moroha asked, practically bouncing from excitement from her place in front of the fire.

Kagome smiled at her daughter, and glanced over towards the wall where her husband was leaning. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be fast asleep, though the occasional twitch of his ear told her otherwise.

“After the prince defeated the dragon, he raced to the princess’ side, slicing through thorns with his sword to reach her,” she continued, enjoying the small gasp that escaped her daughter.

“Did he make it, Mama?”

“He did,” Kagome affirmed. “He was finally able to reach the princess and awaken her with true love’s kiss.”

“And then they lived happily ever after?” Moroha questioned, voice full of hope. 

“I’m sure they did, baby,” she told her, reaching out to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her daughter’s ear, before taking a sip of her cooling tea.

Moroha looked towards her father, noticing him asleep for the first time, and a delighted grin curled at her lips, as she whispered, “Mama, you should wake papa up, like the prince did.”

**Ka** gome nearly choked on her tea, trying hard not to make too much noise as she held back her laugh. Though if she had any doubt Inuyasha was awake, it was gone as a distinct scowl lit his features. 

He remained perfectly still, however.

The miko set down her tea cup, and motioned for her daughter to follow her quietly. Moroha scrambled after her mother, and Kagome couldn’t have stopped the burst of joy in her heart if she tried.

When they reached Inuyasha, she leaned over him, her lips hovering just a hair’s breadth away from his. 

He grumbled low enough for only her to hear, “You owe me.” 

She giggled, and closed the distance between them, tenderly laying the softest of kisses go his mouth.

Pulling back, she smiled as he made a show of blinking his eyes and waking up, and Moroha squealed in glee. 

“You did it, Mama! You woke up Papa!”

Kagome laughed, and gently tweaked one of his ears. “Yes, the princess is awake.”

Inuyasha growled, grabbing them both with reflexes so quick, neither even had a chance to react before he’d pulled them into his arms and began a relentless assault with his claws tickling their sides.

The girl’s peels of laughter rang through the hut for several minutes before Kagome managed to pull away, stealing Moroha back from her father, and breathlessly calling for mercy. 

Inuyasha crawled towards them, and Moroha giggled, jumping to her feet and ran towards her futon, grabbing her sobakawa pillow and clutching it in front of her to protect herself.

“Just you wait until she goes to bed, woman,” he growled in Kagome’s ear when he reached her, looming over her and causing his wife to lean back on her elbows to see him. “I’ll show you who’s a princess.”

“Maybe, but I’m the one who knows how to slay the dragon,” Kagome purred quietly, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, enjoying immensely the blush that stained Inuyasha’s cheeks.

“Kagome!” he sputtered out, looking towards Moroha, who was still on her futon with a bright smile on her face.

Kagome laughed outright, sitting up to place a kiss on his cheek, an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude that this was her life settling into her chest. “Come on, let’s get our princess to bed.”


	14. A Kiss on a Place of Insecurity

She kneeled in front of him as he sat on a large boulder, and his eyes appeared startled at her presence. He’d apparently been so caught up in his own mind that he hadn’t even noticed she’d approached.

Kagome searched his face, finding a deep confliction she knew the source of. His latest spat with his brother still rang in her own ears, too. 

Sesshomaru had never exactly been subtle about his distaste for his brother’s human half. And when Inuyasha had chosen to protect a group of villagers, effectively allowing Naraku to escape, Sesshomaru had called him weak. Said his human heart was the most disgusting thing about him.

Inuyasha had spouted off like he normally did. Threatening his brother and slashing his sword around until the elder demon left in his usual dismissive silence.

But Kagome knew the half demon well enough to know the hurt of Sesshomaru’s words ran deep. She saw the flash of pain in his eyes, the almost imperceptible slump of his shoulders. 

She knew how much he struggled to find peace with both of his halves. And the constant reminders everyone around him seemed to scream at him, that he wasn’t good enough, that neither part of him made him worthy to either humans or demons didn’t help.

Resting on her knees in front of him now, Kagome felt braver than she normally would, incensed that anyone, let alone Inuyasha’s own brother, would treat him as if he were anything less than perfect.

She leaned forward, and placed the barest of kisses to the fabric that covered his heart.

“K-kagome?” he questioned, his breathing fast and eyes wide.

Her hand reached up to cover where she’d laid the kiss, and her eyes closed for a moment as she felt his heartbeat beneath her fingers, strong and steady. 

She fixed her gaze on him, and he appeared transfixed, unable to look away. “Don’t ever be ashamed of this. It’s one of the best things about you.”

They were still for a long while, until Inuyasha broke the spell, glancing around to make sure no one was near, before he dropped to the ground and pulled her into his arms.


	15. A Kiss as a Promise

“Goodness, you did a real number on yourself,” Dr. Higurashi said, glancing up at him from where she was leaned over sewing up his wound.

“This really isn’t necessary, you know,” he snapped, annoyed that he was being held here against his will, when he knew damn well this would be completely healed by morning.

The doctor shook her head, and continued about her work. “I know half demons heal quickly, but we can help the healing along with things like this.”

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes, and kept quiet, hoping if he stopped distracting her, the sooner it would be over and he could go the fuck home.

“What convinced you to come in, anyway?” she asked, not looking up, and he was impressed at how steady her hands were.

“My mother was bitching at me that I’d lost too much blood,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh, really?” The sing-song quality of her voice had him stiffening. “It wasn’t your incredibly brilliant, medical professional wife that had anything to do with it?”

He narrowed his eyes, and let out an indignant huff. “Very funny, Kagome.”

Her responding giggle caused the corners of his mouth to curl up despite his best efforts to remain rightfully pissed at her making fun of him.

She finished the stitches, holding his hand up to him with a satisfied smile, and he smiled back. 

“You’re good, Higurashi.”

“That’s _Dr._ Higurashi to you,” she said smartly, and he smiled even wider. It was one of their oldest jokes, but for some reason, it got him every time.

Kagome stood up, and it wasn’t lost on Inuyasha how his eyes still followed her every move even after all these years. “Promise me you won’t damage yourself irreparably before I get home?” 

He rose from the bed, and pulled her to him with his good hand, enjoying the surprised squeak she let out. Dipping his head, he caught her lips in a fiery kiss, letting himself get carried away for as long as he could, before she pulled back to catch her breath.

“I promise, _Dr._ Higurashi.”


	16. A Kiss Without Motive

Kagome had only been back in the Feudal Era for a few days, but she was quickly settling into her new, old life. 

She, Sango, Inuyasha and Miroku were enjoying the late afternoon near the spring while the twins splashed in the water, the intermittent screams causing Inuyasha to press his ears to his head in annoyance, and the newest addition napped in his mother’s arms.

The warmth of the early spring afternoon filled them all with a sort of contentment they hadn’t even truly experienced during their earlier time together, and Kagome was happy to hear about all that she’d missed in the past three years, while she leaned against Inuyasha.

He surprisingly hadn’t said a word about her proximity to him. They’d been practically inseparable since she’d stepped through the well, but he’d always been shy about showing her any kind of noticeable affection around others. Today, however, he leaned back against her, his long fingers occasionally brushing against the small of her back.

When she noticed the position of the sun, Kagome sighed and stretched. “I’ve got to meet Kaede to check on Yuka-san. She was still running a fever this morning. I’ll see you all for dinner?”

Sango nodded and smiled. “Inuyasha caught two rabbits this morning, so I’ll make stew.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Kagome replied, before she reached over to place a small peck to Inuyasha’s lips.

His face flushed immediately, and his golden eyes grew wide in surprise. “What the hell was that for?” he sputtered. 

It wasn’t really the reaction she’d been expecting. She wasn’t expecting anything, really. But if she was perfectly honest, it was rather gratifying to know she could fluster him like this. She wasn’t sure if she ever really had during their adventures together before. Her insecurities got in the way of most of the more intimate moments they’d shared. But he was all hers now. He’d told her so just last night, said he had been from the moment she pulled the arrow from his chest. 

Kagome stood, and smiled prettily at him. “No reason,” she said with a shrug. “I just love you.”

Not waiting for a reply, she turned towards the village, the sounds of Sango’s snickering and the cries of a newly awakened baby following her almost the entire way. 


	17. A Kiss as a Lie

It was getting close to midnight, and Inuyasha could feel his palms sweating in either nervousness or anticipation. Or both. He wasn’t exactly sure.

Kagome’s laugh rang out next to him as she laughed at something one of her friends had said. 

He loved that sound. It was one of the many reasons he’d found himself in this ridiculous position. 

They’d been friends for years. She was his first friend. His best friend. His ‘it’s not like that’ but ‘secretly I wish it was’ friend.

So, when she’d come to him last week, begging for him to pretend to be her boyfriend at her work’s New Year’s party, he’d relented rather quickly. He even would have said yes if she hadn’t offered ramen whenever he wanted, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. 

Apparently, one of her coworkers had a crush on her, and while he wasn’t pushy about it, Kagome could tell he was dying to go out with her. She liked him fine, but said he was about as vanilla as vanilla could be, and had no interest in him.

And so, Inuyasha had come along in a stuffy suit, staying by her side all night with his hand splayed on her lower back, refilling her drinks and answering questions as politely as he could whenever they were directed at him. 

How long had they been together? How had they met? What was it like dating the Practically Perfect in Every Way Kagome Higurashi?

They had rehearsed for this, making sure their answers were the same, though they didn’t have to make up much, considering they’d been joined at the hip for years.

She had no idea how much it was killing him to pretend like this. To lie about the one thing he wanted more than anything in life.

But one look up at him with that sweet smile of hers was enough to push his unease down. 

As he heard the countdown start, however, his stomach was in knots. 

_10...9...8..._

“I guess we should kiss?” Kagome shouted at him, with a smile and a shrug.

_7...6…5..._

He swallowed hard. “We don’t have to.” But he pulled her against his chest all the same.

_4...3...2…_

One.

Their lips crashed together like opposite ends of a magnet, and suddenly, all those years of pining and waiting and loving her with every ounce of his being became infinitely worth it.

She was so responsive to him, her sweet scent flooding his senses and his knees nearly buckled when he felt her tongue sweep into his mouth, fuel to a fire he was sure would never be put out. 

It was far too passionate a kiss for their surroundings, but why should that matter when he finally had her, the noise around him not even registering to his normally sensitive ears.

When she pulled away, she rested her head against his shoulder, and he could feel her taking in gulps of air, her heart racing against her chest.

She looked up at him, her eyes almost appearing black in the dim lights of the ballroom. “I guess I owe you a lot of ramen.”

Inuyasha’s chest shook with a laugh. “How about you let me take you to dinner, instead?”

Her responding smile was blindingly brilliant, before she pulled him down to kiss him again.


	18. A Kiss on a Falling Tear

He was in the middle of cooking dinner when he smelled it. That unmistakable mix of salt and water that had him dropping the spoon he was holding in almost panic as he raced to the living room.

Inuyasha found his wife on the couch, silent tears streaming down her face as she sniffled with her laptop perched on her legs.

Dropping to his knees in front of her, he grabbed the computer, moving it to the side before he grabbed her hands, squeezing them and rubbing his thumbs over her skin.

Her watery, chocolate eyes met his concerned golden ones, and her tears seemed to fall faster. 

“Hey,” he said, letting go of a hand to stroke her cheek, trying his best to keep his voice low and steady, though he was panicking inside. “What’s wrong?”

Kagome bit her lip, and shook her head, eyes looking away from, and Inuyasha sighed, knowing it was his fault she wasn’t being open. 

If only he hadn’t made fun of her the other day for crying about spilling her glass of milk. The irony was just too great, he couldn’t not laugh. 

It was then that movement on the laptop screen caught his eye. A video was still playing and though he couldn’t piece the entire story together, it was fairly obvious that it was a story about a stray dog who had been rescued and was now friends with a kitten.

And it all became perfectly clear.

“You’ve been watching animal videos again?” he asked with eyebrows raised, trying to keep exasperation from his voice.

She just shrugged and sniffled, her bottom lip still trembling, and all his annoyance melted away at the sight.

“Babe, we talked about this. You just upset yourself when you watch these. It’s not worth it,” he told her, tone soft and low.

“B-but, he was so s-sad, and...and t-then the kitten was there and…” she trailed off as a fresh round of tears started to fall, and her right hand absentmindedly stroked the still small but growing swell of her stomach.

The gesture tugged at him, a half smile lifting his lips and he shook his head. “How did I ever find such a hot mess for a wife?”

Kagome’s responding laugh was wet, but genuine. “You’re just jealous of all my hormones.”

“Mmm, yeah, you got me,” he said, reaching up to place a kiss on one of the last tears that broke free from her now smiling eyes. “I’m going to go finish dinner.”

“What are we having?” 

“Oden. You said yesterday that you’d been craving it.”

Her brow furrowed, and a thinly veiled look of disgust crossed her face. 

“What?” he asked, confused. “You love oden. You said you wanted oden.” 

“I did yesterday! But today...our spawn does not,” she said, pointing to her stomach, and he rolled his eyes at her descriptor, and sighing loudly.

“Fine,” he conceded, “I’ll just go order…” he waited for her to fill in the blank, but she just looked at him expectantly. “Pizza?”

Her smile was brilliant, and his chest swelled with an overwhelming need to protect and love and give her anything she ever wanted. 

“Sounds perfect.” 


	19. A Kiss Goodbye

“Are you sure you have to go?” Kagome asked, squeezing her arms around his middle just a little bit tighter.

She felt her husband chuckle beneath her hold. “I’ll be back tonight, it’s not even that long,” he responded, one of his hands tilting her chin up so he could see her pouting face.

There was warmth in his smile, but she knew him well enough to see a tinge of sadness in his honey eyes.

Kagome had returned to his time only a month prior, and they had been married just two weeks after that. And while they spent most of the day working on various things apart from each other, she always knew he was just around the corner or lounging in a nearby tree, never far enough to not hear her speak his name.

Now, he’d be two hours away at best, and it made her chest tighten from the invisible wound of their three years of separation, and she knew Inuyasha suffered much the same.

Time was supposed to heal them, she knew, but what happened when time itself was the cause of your wounds?

“You and Miroku will be careful?” she smiled back, forcing herself to breathe through her anxiety and her mind to stop its incessant screaming.

“Probably not, but we’ll be fine just the same,” her husband replied, and was rewarded with a roll of her eyes.

“You’d better come back to me in one piece,” she told him sternly, and while she expected a snarky reply, he simply hugged her to him again, a soft, ‘I will,’ breathed near her ear.

The miko leaned up and placed a ghost of kiss to his lips, “Goodbye, Inuyasha.”

She wasn’t surprised at the lopsided grin he gave her, but the shaking of his head made her raise her brow. “Nope. Nuh uh. We don’t say that.”

“What do we say, then?” she asked, head tilted in confusion.

His head leaned down to touch his forehead to hers, his bangs tickling her skin, the proximity of him causing her breath to hitch as the thought of how beautiful he was, struck her.

“I’ll see you later,” he said quietly, before his lips claimed hers. 

It wasn’t hesitant or gentle. It felt like the first and the last and everything in between, as he poured the depth of his love for her into the movement of his mouth. 

He grounded her, and though she hated any bout of separation they were forced to endure, knowing he would always come back and that it would always be like this made it bearable.

When his kisses softened to the briefest of touches on the corners of her lips, Kagome smiled dreamily, her breath finally catching up to the pounding of her heart. 

“I’ll see you later,” she sighed, as his arms reluctantly gave up their hold on her, but he shook his head again.

“Come on,” he said as he took her hand with a wink. “I’ll walk you to Kaede’s, and we can say not goodbye, again.” 

Her delighted laughter rang throughout the forest. 


	20. A Kiss After a Small Rejection

“Are you here alone?” Inuyasha asked, leaning casually against the bar in the empty space next to her stool.

“If I told you ‘no’, would you leave me alone?” she quipped back, voice smooth, though there was a hint of annoyance in it. 

She was absolutely gorgeous. Long, black hair that spilled over her shoulders, pale and flawless skin with a pair of deep brown eyes that seemed to see straight through him.

He wasn’t sure why he’d zeroed in on her. There were certainly easier ways he could have gone about this. Including the numerous women who’d been making eyes at him since he’d stepped through the door. 

It was the puppy ears. Every. Fucking. Time.

The right side of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “I’m not after anything, I swear. I’m just surprised is all.”

She took a sip of her drink. “Oh, really? Why is that? Because I’m just _so gorgeous_?” she deadpanned, and he realized this was not going to go at all like he’d hoped.

Inuyasha couldn’t help the almost impressed laugh that escaped his lips. “This isn’t going to end well for me, is it?”

A small smile curled at the corners of her mouth. “You’re smarter than you look.” 

He tried not to be insulted as he made his way back to the table. He needed to make sure Kagome didn’t realize he’d failed, because she never failed, nor did she let him live it down when he did. 

And sure enough, there she was with a drink in hand he knew she hadn’t had before, waving a cocktail napkin at him that very clearly had someone’s number on it, all while wearing one of the smuggest looks he’d ever seen on her face.

He slumped into his seat beside her, crossing his arms in front of him while he sulked and she pounced.

“No number?” she asked and he rolled his eyes, giving her all the answer she needed. “Looks like you’re buying me dinner for the next week.” 

“Fuck off,” he murmered with no real malace, and she giggled beside him.

“You two are so weird,” Sango remarked from across the table. “Why do you play this game anyway?”

“Because it’s fun to see him get knocked down a few pegs every so often,” Kagome replied.

He huffed indignantly. “You act like I think so highly of myself.”

“Don’t you?” Kagome said, turning her body fully towards his. “You gloat when I have to ask you to open a jar.”

“Because your weakness amuses me.”

“You’re just proving my point.”

“The only point I see is the one on top of your head.”

“That’s the best you can come up with?”

“That’s the best _you_ can come up with?”

“Alright, you two!” Sango all but shouted, earning them a few glares from the surrounding tables. “I swear, if I didn’t know you two were head over heels, I would think you hated each other.”

He watched as a deep blush spread over his girlfriend’s cheeks, and couldn’t help but smile softly.

Kagome smiled back, their friend across from them all but forgotten, as she pulled him to her by the lapels of his jacket. Her kiss was sweet and soothing and accepting. The best reminder that he was loved for everything he was no matter who else in the world rejected him.

“Sorry you lost,” she said, reaching up to massage his ear, and his grin widened. “But I’ll let you take me home, if you want.”

His eyes closed at the sensations her fingers were sending through him. “Oh, yeah? When would you like for me to do that?”

Her hand dropped to his cheek, and his gaze met hers. “Now sounds good.”


	21. A Kiss in Danger

Kagome was exhausted and he knew it. They had been on the road for days with no end in sight and no hint of Naraku’s wearabouts. But he had to press on, no matter how tired they all were. He just had to keep going, and for once Kagome didn’t protest too much, instead, just accepting his offer of riding on his back with weary sighs.

And Inuyasha was grateful to her, whether he would ever admit it or not (he wouldn’t). Kagome seemed to get it, even if she didn’t always agree with how hard he pushed them, she understood his need to do this. To fix what he’d shattered all those years ago. Though she would tell him repeatedly that that wasn’t his fault either.

But still, he wished he could offer her some kind of comfort even if it was just one night’s sleep where he didn’t shake her awake before dawn, so they could keep going.

It was getting dark when he smelled it. That slight hint of sulphur that stung his nose and alerted him to a hot spring nearby.

He was tempted to keep going, knowing none of his companions would ever be the wiser, except maybe Shippo, who was currently fast asleep on Kirara. But when Kagome nuzzled his shoulder, the weight of her all but dead on his back, he started to slow. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately sensing the shift in his speed, and he felt guilty at the obvious fatigue in her voice. 

“Hot spring near here, thought you might want to take a hot bath,” he replied, trying to keep his voice as level as possible to show indifference. Of course he cared about her well being more than anything, but letting Kagome know that was another matter entirely.

She perked up at his words. “How close are we talking?” 

Inuyasha smirked, and leapt into the air without warning, eliciting a delighted squeal from his passenger, while leaving Sango and the others behind, only the sound of the slayer’s irritated, ‘hey!’ to follow them.

When he landed right next to the spring not ten seconds later, he lowered himself so Kagome could climb off, her excitement radiating off of her in waves.

She was already hastily removing her shoes and socks when she stopped and looked at him with a sly, knowing smile on her gorgeous face. 

Moving towards him, her smile never wavered, and his brow furrowed in confusion at her proximity. She should be shooing him away and rushing into the water, not clinging to his arm, and looking at him with an adoration that made his stomach flip not unpleasantly. 

“You know, Inuyasha,” she started, her gaze warm through her thick lashes, “you’re in pretty grave danger.” 

He froze, sniffing the air instinctually for signs of what she was saying. And when he smelled nothing except the slow approach of their friends, he replied. “The hell you talking about?”

Kagome’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight, and he swore the world stopped. 

Her voice was so low when she spoke, he felt himself straining to hear. 

“You’re in danger of making me fall in love with you.” She leaned up to place the faintest of kisses to his cheek. 

His brain couldn’t process anything that happened next, with his shallow breathing and heart racing. All he knew was that her touch was suddenly gone, and he found himself being yelled at by both Shippo and Sango, all but pushing him back into the treeline to find Miroku and start on the dinner they so desperately needed. 

He caught one last glance of Kagome, who gently smiled at him, her face void of the usual frustration she so freely expressed most days when he didn’t leave them in peace to bathe quickly enough for her taste. 

And as his legs and feet began to move of their own volition once more, his back to the spring as he moved into the forest, he boldly returned her smile. 


	22. A Kiss in Grief

“You’re sure that was the last of it?” Inuyasha asked, his ears drooping and disappointment seemed to be radiating off of him in waves. 

It took all the strength she had not to roll her eyes at him. “Yes, I’m fairly certain. But I can check again, if you want me to,” she replied, picking up her yellow backpack and turning it upside down to shake it vigorously for much longer than was necessary to prove that it was empty. 

His thick eyebrows drew down as he glared at her, before his sight shifted back to the stove and his sadness returned with an exaggerated sigh. 

“Ok. Guess I’ll go hunting tomorrow then.”

A poorly hid snort escaped her.  _ This _ was what he was getting sentimental about? Of all the godforsaken things.

She stood and walked to him, still amazed even now at his height as she craned her neck back to look him straight in his amber eyes.

“Gathering a lifetime supply of ramen for you wasn’t exactly at the top of my list when I came back, you know,” she teased, enjoying the start of a grin on his lips.

He scoffed, folding his arms in front of him in his classic stance. “You never did have your priorities straight.”

Kagome’s laughter rang throughout their home, as she stood on the tips of her toes to lay the barest of kisses to his lips, enjoying the way his breath caught at the contact. “I’m very sorry for your loss,” she whispered, her tone serious while her eyes danced.

Inuyasha smiled, and it was her turn to catch her breath. “It’s alright. You’ll just have to find ways to comfort me in my time of grief.” 

Another laugh and his smile grew wider. “And how exactly would you like for me to do that?”

She squeaked as he squeezed her ass, before letting her go as he moved with his signature lightning speed toward the entryway, leaving his new wife to stumble for her balance. 

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” he said with a wink, just before he disappeared into the trees.


End file.
